In various applications, a drive assembly may be utilized to provide rotational power to various components. In various wheeled or tracked vehicles, for example, a final drive assembly may be mounted to a frame of the vehicle to provide rotational power, at an output hub of the drive assembly, to drive the wheels or tracks of the vehicle, and thereby move the vehicle over terrain. Such a drive assembly (and others) may include hydraulic motors for providing rotational power, and various gears for adjusting the speed of the rotational power for output at the output hub. In some cases, the motors may be operated at one or more different speeds.
The drive assemblies may also include a park brake, such as a spring applied, hydraulically released brake, to brake the drive motor. Known designs may include one or more components to release the brake, and also may include one or more components to mechanically control the speed of the drive motor. For example, a hydraulic piston may be used to release the brake, and one or more hydraulic tilt mechanisms may be used to change motor speed by changing the degree of tilt of a swash plate impinged by one or more revolving pistons of the motor. Arranging and packaging complex assemblies such as these, along with gear trains, bearings, shafts and other drive components, in what may be relatively tight space envelop may be a challenge. Accordingly, it may be useful to provide an improved arrangement for controlling the motor and brake components of the drive assembly.